Defining the SME

INTRO - landscape Words: Janet Paterson IN CONTEXT Across the board, SME s are to be actively supported and encouraged as the lifeblood of a growing, sustainable economy – a role recognised in President Mbeki’s State of the Nation address for 2006, when he pledged that “to contribute to the growth of the SMME sector, the government will reform its procurement programme to access some of its goods and services from small and medium businesses, ensuring that it pays for what it purchases promptly.